This invention relates to a carrying case for skateboards that enclose the body portion of the skateboard but allow for the skateboard wheel assemblies, or trucks, to project through apertures in the carrying case. More particularly, the invention is directed to a see-through wheel assembly covering material that covers these apertures when not storing a skateboard and that covers over the received wheel assemblies when projecting through the apertures.
Skateboard carriers and organizations of various types for transport and portage of equipment is known in the prior art. Heretofore, however, a carrying case that provides for the visual inspection and immobilization of the skateboard wheel assemblies, or trucks, when the skateboard is placed in the case has heretofore not been provided, as set forth by the instant invention.
Examples may be found in Sharma, U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,346, that sets forth an interchangeable carrying sling that may be used to hold a skateboard by loops at distal ends of the carrying sling that fit around each of the truck assemblies.
Harper, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,460, sets forth a skateboard carrier that enables a person to carry the skateboard on a padded board the placed on the carrier""s back. The skateboard is retained on the padded board with elastic straps that span across the skateboard leaving the wheel assemblies uncovered and exposed.
Staelin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,357, sets forth a powered skateboard that has a self-contained carrying bag that completely covers the entire skateboard and truck assemblies.
Challoner et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,344,056 and 5,492,254, sets forth a skateboard carrier that has retaining members that cover the front and rear portion of the skateboard up to the wheel assemblies. A plurality of straps span across the mid-section of the skateboard between the front and rear wheel assemblies. However, the wheel assemblies are uncovered and exposed.
Bolduc, U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,506, sets forth a skateboard carrier that has an enclosure that completely covers the skateboard body with apertures that allow the wheel assemblies to project therethrough uncovered. The design is similar to the above mentioned prior art in that the case has means to secure the enclosure to retain the skateboard during transport and straps or handles to carry the case over the body.
This invention addresses the requirement for a low cost, portable skateboard carrier as set forth by the instant invention which addresses the issues of ease of use, comfort of the carrier during transportation and a see-through covering of the skateboard wheel assemblies when the skateboard is stowed in the carrying case. Due to many municipal and school regulations regarding the use and transportation of skateboards and the heightened state of security and screening of carrying cases at schools, airports and by local officials, there exists a need for a skateboard carrying case that meets these new regulations and security procedures.
Skateboard carrying cases that completely cover the skateboard and thereby prohibit visual inspection of the contents therein are problematic when security or school officials need to determine the contents of the carrying case. The carrier must then open the carrying case for visual inspection at the risk of having the contents of the case fall out.
Skateboard carrying cases that cover the skateboard with the exception of the wheel assemblies, or trucks, have been prohibited from many areas since the stored skateboard can roll away on the exposed trucks out of the control of the carrier if set down or dropped. This xe2x80x9crun-awayxe2x80x9d condition has prompted regulation that prohibits this type of skateboard carrying case on school buses, crowded school passageways, staircases, and the like.
The skateboard carrying case of the present invention addresses these above issues by providing apertures in the enclosure of the carrying case itself to allow the wheel assemblies to project therethrough when the skateboard is stored in the carrying case. However, when the wheel assemblies project through the apertures, they are restrained by a see-through material that expands out from the apertures to prevent the wheels from rotating and at the same time providing for easy visual inspection and identification of the primary contents of the carrying case, namely, the stowed skateboard.
The advantages to this invention, and more specifically the see-through wheel assembly covering material that covers the carrying case wheel assembly apertures, is that the see-through material prevents the wheels from rotating, thereby preventing the uncontrolled rolling of the stored skateboard, permits easy inspection and identification of the contents of the carrying case, keeps dirt located on the wheel assemblies from being transferred to objects that it comes into contact with, and allows for wheels on the wheel assemblies to be contained if they inadvertently would have fallen. Additionally, the see-through wheel assembly covering material can allow for graphic printing thereon that does not prohibit its see-through property, thus enhancing the total printable area of the carrying case for graphic design and printing thereon.
The see-through wheel assembly covering material has the structural characteristic allowing its expansion to receive the stored wheel assemblies when the skateboard is stored in the carrying case. This may be achieved by the see-through material having elastic properties or attached to the periphery of the enclosure apertures in a pleated manner, or both. This volume expanding characteristic allows for different sized or configured wheel assemblies to be stored in the same dimensioned carrying case thereby eliminating the need for different sized cases for differed sized skateboard and wheel assemblies, and allows the see-through material to retract back across the enclosure apertures when not in use.
The carrying case for a skateboard having a skateboard body that includes forward and rearward wheel assemblies longitudinally aligned on the centerline of a bottom portion of the skateboard body comprises an enclosure that defines an inner storage area for enclosing the skateboard body. The enclosure has a zipper-closure opening for storing and retrieving the skateboard into and out of the inner storage area and two apertures located on the enclosure for receiving the forward and rearward wheel assemblies of the skateboard therethrough when the skateboard is placed in the inner storage area. Each of the two apertures have a covering material that cover each of the forward and rearward wheel assemblies that project through the apertures when the skateboard is located in the inner storage area of the enclosure.
The covering material that covers each aperture is made from an abrasion-resistant see-through material that covers over the apertures when no skateboard is stored in the carrying case but expands outward to receive the wheel assemblies as they project through the apertures in the enclosure. The covering material may include a breathable mesh material that allows air through but is densely woven enough to retain the wheel assemblies and any other object in the carrying case from passing therethrough. The covering material may include an elastic material that provides a flush fitting over apertures in the enclosure when no skateboard is stored in the carrying case but expand outward to receive the wheel assemblies as they project through the apertures. Additionally, the covering material may provide for a pleated configuration that gathers overlapping sections of the covering material together at the attachment portion of the peripheral edge of the apertures to provide a flush fitting over apertures in the enclosure when no skateboard is stored in the carrying case but expand outward to receive the wheel assemblies as they project through the apertures.
The carrying case is constructed of an outer shell material made of abrasion resistant material for durability during transportation and an inner liner material made of a non-abrasive material to prevent any surface damage to contents stored inside the carrying case.
The carrying case is constructed having a front section that receives the wheel assemblies of a stored skateboard and a padded back section that provides comfort during transportation by a user when carried via a back section attached sling.
The two front and back sections of the carrying case have bottom portions that are fixedly attached together to provide a bottom pocket area to retain a skateboard when the zipper closure is in either a closed or open position. The zipper closure then extends from the bottom pocket area along the periphery of a common edge of the front and back sections to over and around a top portion of the carrying case to allow easy access to the inner storage area of the carrying case when the zipper closure is in an open position. At the furthest point of zipper travel in the closed position is a zipper locking tab fixedly attached to the outer surface of the carrying case. A small padlock type device can then be inserted through the zipper locking tab and the zipper pull tab to lock the zipper in a closed position and thereby prevent unauthorized access to contents stored within the carrying case.
A storage pocket is located on the front section of the carrying case between the apertures to receive the skateboard wheel assemblies. The pocket in the preferred embodiment has a hook and loop closure flap to facilitate securing and access to the contents of the pocket. The pocket additionally has a split window on the outer pocket panel that allows the window to open to the exterior when contents are placed within the storage pocket. A see-through liner material having similar properties to the see-through covering material mentioned above in this section cover the interior portion of the outer pocket panel that retain the contents within the storage pocket but allow for easy visual inspection and identification of contents within the pocket.
The carrying case is transported by means of a pair of handles located on the outer mid-section of the case. The pair of handles comprises a single handle on each of the front and back sections of the carrying case that allows the case to be carried by a user grasping both handles. The handles are attached to the outer surface of both the front and back sections of the carrying case and extend to the opposite side of the carrying case to increase the durability and strength of the attachment.
An additional aid in transporting the case consists of a sling mounted on the back section of the case to assist in carrying the case without using hands, for an example, over a person""s shoulder. A sling with swivel clips is releaseably attached to top and bottom mounted retention rings fixably attached to retention tabs on an exterior surface of the back section of the carrying case. The retention tabs can be mounted in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the carrying case or may be mounted at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the carrying case to keep the top portion of the carrying case from contacting the back side of the head depending on how a user is transporting the carrying case on their back.
The lightweight, durability of construction, ease of transport featuring see-through restraint of a stowed skateboard""s wheel assemblies of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a consideration of the following drawings and description.